Things We Lost in The Arc
by AllTooSure
Summary: A collection of one-shots and missing scenes from season 5 and 6. Mostly Charming Family and Swan Believer but other characters and relationship will feature through out. Open to prompts, if you care to leave one.
1. For Reasons Unknown

Her pale white hand trembled as it lit the final candle in a room now full of small flickering flames. She waited until she was sure it burnt strong, cupping her hand around the wick and nurturing the fire, protecting it from the soft breeze until it burned with as much life as its brothers.

Then she moved to the center of the room, making note of how the flames felt like dozens of small eyes peering up at her. Watching her with the judgment of a murder of crows. She had given them life and now they could bear witness to her failures.

"Emma Swan, Emma Swan, Emma Swan," She whispered into the stillness of the night.

No one answered.

The room was hot and the fire from the candles made her head perspire but the only water that fell from her face stared in her eyes. She was crying.

Another exhaled loudly into the room, breaking up the reverence that had unintentionally been created. She turned quickly to its source, her shoulders hitched high in hope and her eyes drawn wide but, alas, it was not the person she had called for.

"Snow." Her husband, David, said from the doorway.

"Henry said she came when he called her three times. I added the candles. I heard they make it easier to summon someone."

"And?"

"She didn't come. She..she doesn't want to see me." Her voice was breaking and she shook her head in an attempt to deny the sense of rejection.

David looked at her with sympathy marching his way over to her, maneuvering through the lines of candles until he was close enough to his wife to wrap his arms around her body. He held her and stroked her hair comfortingly but he didn't say anything.

"What did we do, David? How did we fail her?"

She looked up at him through teary eyes. He looked older, still unbelievably handsome, but becoming more and more distinguished every day. Fine wrinkles crinkled the corners or his eyes and she thought she could see the beginnings of permanent frown lines mark his once fresh face. His eyes were definitely harder, losing the naivety that once helped to define him.

"I don't know. Whatever it was I promise you, we will find out and we will get our daughter back.

His voice remained steady though and for his sake as much as her own she smiled.


	2. On The Corner of Main Street

The wait for the bus felt like it lasted longer than it should have. He knew he could only have been standing on the sidewalk for a couple of minutes, fifteen at most, but it felt like hours could have passed with him lost in the maze of the suburbs. Over the last few days everything had that strange, never ending quality about it, like when you have a fever that makes life both laborious and dream like. Even this day, only at its beginning, seemed to stretch out before him like a shadow, looming and ominous.

Violet had called, she said Nicodemus was well and she was happy to have him back. She hinted that she wanted to go horse riding but he ignored her signals and ended the call early. He didn't tell her why, it seemed like she already had her heart back and if he was honest with himself he knew that a part of him didn't want her to hate his mom.

His other mom, Regina, had been giving him his space. The few exchanges they did have had an awkward stillness to them that revealed how foreign the situation was to both of them. In the past, she would have been the one making him upset and Emma was the one he ran to for comfort. He was grateful things had changed between him and Regina but a part of him called out for the familiarity of old times.

The rain was making his skin and hair damp with mist but still, it was good to be out of the house, to go to school and listen to his grandmother talk about birds or whatever and get lost in problems that weren't his own.

He tried to remember what it was they were learning before he went to Camelot but he couldn't hold his focus long enough to remember, long enough to hear her approaching or see the black splotch on the cool pastels of suburban Storybrooke getting closer and closer. A cold hand clasping his shoulder was the first sign of another's presence. He flinched in surprise, the scene drudging up memories of the last villain who tried to use him as bait, of the time his mom killed to protect him.

"Hey kid" Said a voice that was familiar but distorted.

Mom. No, Emma. No, not mom or Emma. The Dark One.

He looked at her for a moment, squinting his eyes and trying to see something warm and familiar under that pale skin, then turned his head to the other side of the street. On the horizon he can make out the faint yellow image of the approaching school bus.

"What are you doing here?" He asked.

"Henry, I'm sorry. I don't know what you saw but I promise there is more to the story. I would never hurt you like that, not without a good reason."

Emma's hands were tight at her sides.

She bent her head to catch his eye but he purposely ignores it. Everyone always thinks they can justify hurting someone, that the pain they cause is worth it but they're wrong. She should have found another way.

"Then tell me. Stop being stupidly mysterious and just tell me what happened in Camelot."

For a second it looked like she is going to. Her defenses fall and her face drooped with sadness, her eyes looking back and forward. Her mouth even parts for a second but the moment passes quickly and the steel walls that the Dark One keeps to block out her weaknesses are up again in full force and Henry knows that anything that comes out of her mouth now could be a lie or worse, a manipulation.

"I..I can't. I wish I could but that isn't an option." She spits out.

"Well that's just...great. You know, I never thought I'd be having this conversation with you of all people. You were my.."

My what? Mom? Hero? Both sound so childish when they're on the tip of his tongue. He had thought he'd outgrown this fan-boy hero worship now that he had had the chance to be the hero and knew that it wasn't all sword fighting and horse riding.

Before she became the Dark One. His mom had told him there were no heroes or villains just people trying to do their best in the world, make the choices and survive. At the time he had agreed. Looks like they were both lying to themselves.

"I guess it doesn't matter what you were." He finishes, looking down.

"I am sorry. I will help you. Violet has her heart back. I saw you and her at the fair, you looked happy. If there is anything that can get that back I will do it?"

She didn't get it. It didn't matter that everything was fine now, it's that it ever had to be made fine in the first place, that because of her there was a time when it wasn't. He knew there was no point explaining it though. The real Emma would have understood, she would have known exactly what he was talking about but what she had become just didn't get it.

He had to get her back, he just had to. It was lame and childish but he wanted his mom, his real mom.

"You can't make this better. You're not the savior anymore. All you can do is let us save you so things can go back to normal."

The bus had arrived now. It pulled to the curve, lurching as if it was sick to it's stomach and pulling over out of exhaustion. Henry walked towards the doors which slid open with a creek. The bus drivers eyes widened when he saw Emma standing near and he quickly turned his head straight towards the road, thinking that if, maybe, he avoided looking at her she wouldn't notice him.

And she didn't. She was too busy watching her son, wondering if he'd really leave without saying goodbye. He seemed to wonder the same thing for a moment, because he paused directly in front of the steps and turned back to her, his face looking more forgiving them it had before.

"The bus is here. I've got to go, I don't want to be late."

He climbed on board the bus, Emma moved as if to stop him but then stopped mid stride and straightened up. He took a seat near the front and watched her from his window. Her black leather jacket picking up the reflection of the sun almost enough to distract him from the glare of her tears.


	3. Change Came in Disguised of Revelation

Belle pulled the car over when she heard her phone ringing in the bag beside her. She felt a mixture of relief and fear when she looked at the screen and saw Henry's name. Relief because the idea of leaving Storybrooke alone scared her more then she would like to admit and fear because well..people in Storybrooke don't often call just to check up. She answered any way but felt her heart jump when no one greeted her.

"Hello? Henry? Is something wrong?"

"Oh hey Belle, grandpa wasn't picking up his phone but I wanted to know how he was and I figured you'd be with him so -" Henry said on the other end. She exhaled in relief. He sounded calm, she guessed that Rumple just hadn't told anyone about her trip yet and she hadn't even considered that some of the others would want to say good bye to her.

"Oh he mustn't have told you yet Henry but I - I am not in Storybrooke anymore. I left town this morning"

"What? Where did you go? Did you leave because of the Dark Ones, because they're gone now and mom's back to normal and..and..Hook's ... dead."

Belle frowned. What was Henry talking about? Rumple had defeated Hook on the ship. It had ended there, hadn't it?

"Hook's dead? What happened? Are you okay, Henry? Is Rumple okay?" She said, holding her breath in wait for the boy's answer.

"Yeah, I am fine. Grandpa's fine too. Hook was infected by the darkness. He summoned all the previous Dark Ones from hell to kill us but my mom stopped him. He sacrificed himself for her."

As Belle listened what she heard didn't feel real. Rumple must have been so frightened as this was happening, why hadn't he told her to come back? Surely she could have helped.

"I can't believe it. Was Rumple, was he marked?"

"Yeah, he was. He was great, Belle A real hero. He helped my moms by giving them Excalibur. He's like a totally different person without the curse. Is that why you left? He really misses you, Belle."

"Henry" She said. She paused for a moment thinking about Rumple. Had he known he was going to die when he told her to leave? Was he trying to spare her? Did he really value her happiness over his own so much that he would be willing to deny himself comfort in his final moment just so she could leave town without guilt. "When did you all find out that you were marked?"

"This morning. About four."

She cried when the boy answered. Her hand rising to her quivering chin.

"He knew. He knew that he was going to die before I left but he..he put my happiness over his own. I..I've got to come back. I've made a terrible mistake."

"Is something wrong?"

"No. Nothing is wrong, Henry. Everything is.. perfect. I've got to go. I am coming home." She said, the smile on her face obvious from her voice.


	4. I Believe I'll Go Canoeing

Emma sat on the side of Henry's new bed and looked down at her son, who was cuddling into his blankets. The sight of mi sleepy and safe made her smile despite her own growing weariness. He was so tall now. It seemed like just yesterday he was this small kid who needed her help but now he was practically an adult. He was almost as tall as her and everyday he continued to amaze her with his maturity.

Still, she could tell he was shaken by the premonition of her death and truthfully she was too. The idea of missing out on anymore of his life was upsetting but being the savior was who she was. If it really was her fate to die then she couldn't avoid that anymore then she could change the color of her eyes or who her parents were.

"Let's go canoeing." She blurted out. She didn't know what he made her say it but as soon as the words left her mouth it felt right.

Henry's eyes flickered a little and he frowned up at her in confusion. "Canoeing? Like, in that narrow boat and with oars and stuff."

"Yeah, the whole shebang. Just me, my _awesome_ kid, that's you, and the great rivers of Maine."

"Not that I don't want to spend the day with you and all but why canoeing? Why not play to our strengths, you know, arcades, the movies, maybe an investigation?"

Emma swatted her hand in exaggerated dismissal. "We do that kind of stuff all the time. I want this to be special."

"Because…because you might..might not be around much longer." Henry said, looking down and slumping sulkily. Emma moved a hand to her son's shoulder.

"Come on, kid. Let's not focus on that. I beat Gideon today and that's all that matters."

"But for how long? What about if he comes back and you can't beat him."

She rubbed his shoulder comfortingly and smiled at the kid. "Henry, there are no guarantees in this world. It's like my dad said, we have to live for the moments. If we're always worrying about the future we won't get to enjoy the present."

Henry didn't answer but seemed to think about her words for a bit. Moments passed with Emma rubbing circles on his should with her flat palm. Eventually Henry lent over and gave Emma a small hug.

"Canoeing sounds great, mom. I'll message Regina and we'll go tomorrow."

Emma smiled and moved off of the bed and into the doorway where she lingered for a moment "It's a plan. Goodnight kid."

"Goodnight mom."


End file.
